Inheritance and Genetics of Autoimmune diseases

About inheritance and genetics:
Inheritance of Autoimmune diseases refers to whether the condition is inherited
from your parents or "runs" in families.
The level of inheritance of a condition depends
on how important genetics are to the disease.
Strongly genetic diseases are usually inherited,
partially genetic diseases are sometimes inherited,
and non-genetic diseases are not inherited.
For general information, see Introduction to Genetics.

Inheritance of Autoimmune diseases:
The genes people inherit contribute to their susceptibility for developing an
autoimmune disease. Certain diseases such as psoriasis can occur among several
members of the same family. This suggests that a specific gene or set of genes
predisposes a family member to psoriasis. In addition, individual family members
with autoimmune diseases may inherit and share a set of abnormal 1

Autoimmune diseases seem to also have a hereditary component, but
mysteriously, they can cluster in families as different illnesses. For
example, a mother may have lupus erythematosus; her daughter, diabetes;
her grandmother, rheumatoid arthritis. Research is shedding light on
genetic, as well as hormonal and environmental risk factors that
contribute to the causes of these diseases.2

Genetics of Autoimmune diseases:
Autoimmune diseases also seem to have a genetic
component, but, mysteriously, they can cluster in families as
different illnesses. For example, a mother may have lupus
erythematosus; her daughter, diabetes; her grandmother, rheumatoid
arthritis. Research is shedding light on genetic, as well as
hormonal and environmental risk factors that contribute to the
causes of these diseases. 3

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